YOLOmites5000

Update 2018 #YOLOmites5000 3.0 edition: We will be back again on the #YOLOmites5000 roads on September 8-9th 2018. If you want to get in make sure you book a place to stay early enough. If you are traveling from abroad check the Holimites Rent-Ride-Relax offer with free road-bike rental. If you don’t find any rooms with this solutions write us an E-mail.

How everything started in 2016:

This is not for everyone. If you can’t stand the idea of walking your bike or maybe getting muddy or banging down a steep gravel descent. Don’t even think of coming! ~Jered Gruber

At that point I didn’t realize what I was getting into. You know, on a cycling ride you talk, talk and talk and you forget everything afterwards. But as soon the whole thing got officialized with another post of Jered it was time to roll:

The first issue was planning a route to get 5000m of climbing in 100km. It would have been possible but that meant too many walking sections and the ride was more suited for a mountain bike. But we wanted a DROPBAR only ride! After some retouching and lifting the lenght of the ride ended on the computer at 125 km.

During my training rides I already rode all of this sections, but never all at once. It looked though already on a screen, try to image riding it.

Finally on August 7th it was the day X to go out and give it a try. What follows is a short resume of the ride:

Colnago CLX 3.0 carbon with 34×28 mounted (yes Jered, for this occasion I’ll put some companions after the 25er) with 23mm tires.

I planned the route in a way to generally avoid all main roads of the Badia valley. This way the start is already on a ‘gentle’ 10% gradient, a nice little ‘appetizer’ for the muscles in order to get ready to what comes later in the day.

But this also means the views are amazing since the beginning of the adventure. Short into the climb above the town of Badia you can admire the only glacier of the Dolomites, the Marmolada at the horizon. The steep majesty Passo Fedaia ends exactly at the feet of this glacier.

Only 3,5 km into the ride we enter one of Jered’s favourite parts (video here). A steep single track, renamed by me the “Mushrooms picking section” because most of the people will need to put for the first time their feet on the ground.

A short gravel descent is coming where you may get into some nice encounters:

Or you may also be able to pass some mountain bikers:

The climb continues until we reach the Armentara meadows:

A long descent towards valley and then we will start to climb the Passo delle Erbe located at the feet of the Pütia peak (in the background of this picture):

As soon we reach the Passo delle Erbe we descent the last 4 km we climbed. We will then take a sideroad to reach the valley bottom again.

Then it’s time to deal with the Passo Furcia, at the beginning we will follow a side road only used by local farmers. A concrete section will top the 24% gradient, but it doesn’t get easier afterwards because we will remain above the 10% all the way to the top of the Passo Furcia. The Passo Furcia is our turning point. It’s not only the farthest we are away from our starting point but we are also half way of our 5000m goal.

Don’t miss this turn in La Plì de Mareo:

or in case of doubt the common rule during #YOLOmites5000 is:

…if things get easier you turned on the wrong road …

Descending the Furcia we reach the town of Al Plan de Mareo (San Vigilio di Marebbe). It’s a nice cozy town, really inviting for a stop for lunch. Imagine you are at sea and you see sirens .. it’s some kind of trap. You will have all the extra weight from stopping in town all the way up the next hard section. It’s also the point where things become serious, let your legs beg for mercy … not your stomach. Oh yes and of course at the top of the climb there is a nice place to stop for a snack.

The climb to Jù is paved on the first part. The final 200 meters are all above 22% on gravel. Have to be honest, I had to put my feet on the ground here.

At the top of each climb during the day we always see in the background the Sas dla Crusc mountain, just take it as your orientation point because the starting town of Badia is placed at the feet of it.

From the top of Jù (picture above) we descent to the town of Piculin (Piccolino) from where we will start to climb again on the other side of the valley towards Mirí. At the top we descent towards the nearby town of San Martin de Tor (San Martino). This is one of my favourite descents on a smooth paved road:

Water?

If there is a thing we have in abundance in the Dolomites is fresh fountain water. You don’t have to worry about this, fountains are everywhere and don’t even try to go in a supermarket and buy water filled in plastic bottles. Think GREEN!

When we end in San Martino in Badia 1500m of climbing are missing to reach our 5000 goal.

Believe me that the home advantage becomes a disadvantage now. When you know what’s coming the temptation to follow the direct road towards home is huge. All the climbs starting from now are all over 10% gradient, there is a gravel section that touches again the 24%. When you see the Santa Berbura (Saint Barbara) church there are still 1000m of climbing left with 100 km into the ride. Oh .. did you notice? The Sas dla Crusc mountain is closer now:

Other 2,5 climbs are on the ‘Menù’ … and what is worse than having a flat on a concrete section with gradients above 20%?

Yes flats will be an issue, if you ride this loop alone be sure you have spare inner tubes with you … but most important, a spare tire too. The times I rode this roads I always got a flat because the tire had a cut.

For the people that will join the YOLOmites5000 event things are easier, we plan to organize some points with spare parts so that you just need to carry the essential spare parts with you.

All good things must come to an end!

Well you will be happy when you see the Sas dla Crusc mountain in front of your eyes, this means you only have a quick descent towards Ustaria Posta, the starting point, where we will wait you with food, drinks, beers and everything an ‘adventurer’ needs